Rainforest Canopy | Epiphyte Laden Branch

[hydrophyte]

Rainforest Canopy | Epiphyte Laden Branch

I have been meaning to start this project for a while. I have seen a few other similar ones around. Giga has a setup with a pretty nice nice planted branch and the journal thread is right here... 83gallon tower tank

I plan to do this one in a 30 X High, which isn't a lot of room. I want to take some time to find real small epiphytes that will scale well with the branch that I am making and the enclosure.

Earlier this morning I started making the branch feature. I might have selected a thick piece of manzanita for it, but decided to use GS foam. All that I did to star the shape was to place a piece of waxed paper over my bench top with a few scraps of wood underneath to make a more dimensional surface, then I just started to spray a twisted branch shape about 24" long. After it cures I will flip it over and apply more GS to the other side to get a more or less cylindrical branch form. I would shoot a picture of it now, but it's pretty ugly and not much to see.

I don't see very many very memorable pictures of this kind of thing on the Internet, which is surprising because trees loaded with epiphytes can be so visually striking. Back in the day I climbed a few tall trees down in Costa Rica and it was really amazing. If anybody might know about any real good albums on flickr or Pinterest or wherever I'd be interested to get the link as more visual reference. Here is a Wikimedia Commons image that shows a tree with some larger bromeliads and aroid climbers and stuff like that.


(Wikimedia Commons image: FileirkvdM epiphytes.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I'm going to do this as a Forest Floor setup with false bottom. It might also be engaging to pick out terrestrials for the planter pots. Terrestrial plants will need to be very short to fit with this idea. It would be great to find some more unusual mini terrestrial orchids, aroids and gesneriads. The bottom area might need some extra illumination because the epiphyte branch above will be well-lit but throw a lot of shade.



I don't know about livestock yet. I understand that there are some dart frog species (Ranitomeya spp.??) that are almost entirely arboreal. I might just make this a plant display. Some sort of insect might also work. There might or might not be connection between the branch and the bottom planted area with some fake vine features.

[jacobi]

I'm struggling to make space for one tank... you're making me jealous subscribed.

Have you considered a wire or plastic rod inside the great stuff for added strength?

[hydrophyte]

I don't have much space here either; I can only make room by shuffling stuff around. And my basement shop is a mess.

The GF branch is pretty flimsy and I haven't even started to carve away at it yet. I plan to put several coats of Drylok on it and I hope that will stiffen it up.

[hydrophyte]

Here's the GS branch feature all expanded.



Now I need to start carving away at it.

[hydrophyte]

I just remembered this older picture that shows scale in that 30 X High tank pretty well. I took it apart some time after getting this shot. This new setup will just have the single artificial branch in it, but the pictures shows pretty well how much space there is in there.



I want to use mainly very small epiphytes and also use very short terrestrials underneath. I want to do some research and try to incorporate some more unusual terrestrials that I haven't tried before.

[hydrophyte]

I carved away at the branch feature to get the general shape. Now I am going to coat it with the Drylok. I'm also going to have to stiffen it with some kind of reinforcement; I might use some of this thick anodized aluminum bonsai wire that I have. The Great Stuff foam is really flimsy and the branch shape just bends with any weight at all.

The expanded GS foam has a lot of air pockets in it and I bet that epiphytes would like the surface a lot. I'd like to get a can of the black GS for ponds and try some of it unfinished for growing orchids and ferns.

[frograck]

would a 1/2' thick piece of PVC pipe work to stiffen the branch?

[hydrophyte]

Originally Posted by frograck

would a 1/2' thick piece of PVC pipe work to stiffen the branch?

It would have worked if I had sprayed the foam around it. I don't know how I would get a pipe inside of the foam now. I think that the bonsai wire will work. I can put it right along the top so that the plants will cover it.

[hydrophyte]

Well I was able to skewer the branch end-to-end with three pieces of thick bonsai wire and I only poked one little hole through the side. It's rigid enough now.

[jacobi]

I saw someone do it successfully, no idea which thread its in, but someone made a fake branch then glued cork bark to it. I imagine it'll take a little finessing to do right, its something I want to try one day. Random thought